Author: Rhys Gregory

With the Cardiff Half Marathon taking place on Sunday, October 1st, the city is expected to be exceptionally busy, so residents and visitors are advised to plan and leave plenty of time for their journey. On Wednesday September 27th, the following road closures will be put in place at the Civic Centre to set up and dismantle the race village for the event. From 5am on Wednesday, September 27th until just before midnight on Monday, October 2nd College Road will be closed from the junction with Museum Avenue to the junction with King Edward VII Avenue (Vehicle access to private…

TOURISM’S annual value to the Swansea Bay economy has topped the £500m mark for the first time. New figures show visitors spent £510.76m throughout 2022 in the Swansea, Mumbles and Gower area. The STEAM figures (Scarborough Tourism Economic Activity Monitor) prepared for Swansea Council also show that visitor numbers increased to more than 4.2m last year with the tourism industry supporting 5,190 jobs in the area. Hotel room occupancy rates are encouraging, with some months this year seeing 80% of rooms occupied according to industry data platform Smith Travel Research. That’s higher than the most recent comparable years. A council…

Swansea Council has awarded a website development grant to The Cusp and a pre-start business grant to DUA Cleaning Services. Both grants are funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. Co-founded by marketing duo Louise Rengozzi and Jess Hickman, The Cusp, based in the Uplands part of the city, is a marketing agency specialising in digital and out-of-home media and advertising campaigns for the public and private sectors. The company is leading a free online Power Hour event called ‘Marketing Stand Out Innovations 2023’ and ‘What’s to come for 2024’ organised in partnership with Swansea Council…

The popular Mayor of Neath Port Talbot’s Remembrance Concert returns to the princess Royal Theatre on Friday 27 October and will feature a first-class line-up. Sophie rose to fame when she came runner up out of 10,000 hopefuls in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s ‘Over the Rainbow’ in 2010, resulting in her becoming ‘alternate Dorothy’ at the London Palladium at the age of 17. She has since gone on to perform all around the world with amazing performers such as Alfie Boe, Michael Ball, Paul Potts and Kerry Ellis Webber, has enjoyed great critical acclaim as Glinda in the West End production…

The Tigers, one of the British Army’s leading parachute display teams will be making a spectacular landing in Newport later this month*. They will be dropping into Rodney Parade on Saturday 30 September, just before kick-off for the Dragons v Ospreys match. The Tigers also provide support to the Army with an active role in recruitment and will be on hand to share more information about the Army and the careers available. Councillor Jane Mudd, leader of Newport City Council, said: “We are very excited that the Tigers have decided to return to Newport. They were due to descend on…

The Little Cheese Festival took place for the second year over the weekend of the 2nd and 3rd September. Caerphilly Town Centre recorded an incredible 17,737 visitors, over 7,000 more people than last year. Over 38,000 visitors were also recorded at Castle Court Shopping Centre, and the event weekend recorded over 13,000 more people in the town than the previous weekend. In attendance, there were over 150 food, drink, and craft stalls as well as all the local businesses that line the high street and Castle Court Shopping Centre. The Little Cheese brought opportunities for small and local businesses within…

The financial support aims to drive innovation, growth and decarbonisation among businesses, ultimately stimulating economic growth and job creation across the County. There are small, medium, and large grants on offer ranging from £5,000 to £300,000. All grants will be offered at 50% grant funding, 50% match funding for projects. Businesses are also invited to attend a drop-in event on 18 September to find out more about the grants and discuss their eligibility with the Council’s Economic Development team. The event will take place at the Memo Arts Centre in Barry from 9am to 4pm. Councillor Bronwen Brooks, Deputy Leader…

Online child groomer Caleb Courtman has been jailed for 24 years following an investigation by South Wales Police Online Investigation Team (POLIT) . POLIT officers discovered Caleb Courtman, 20, of Swansea had over 2000 indecent images and videos of children on his devices, some of which he had sourced directly from child victims he had groomed and incited online. Detectives led by Detective Constable Natalie Revers arrested Courtman after intelligence was received indicating an upload of illegal material from his home address. A complex and collaborative investigation between the POLIT team and Digital Forensic Examiners revealed that Courtman had been…

A man who died in a road traffic collision which happened on the A465 near Resolven at around 7pm on Friday 8 September has been named as 32-year-old Jonathan Davies from Neath. The family of Jonathan Davies, known to his friends as ‘Archie’ paid the following tribute: Jonathan was the cherished son of Carole, and his late father, Allan (Tojo). He was the beloved grandson of the late Hilda and much loved nephew of the late Keith, and also Terry, Ann, Peter, and Malvern. He will be deeply missed by all his cousins and countless friends. Jonathan grew up in…

A quiet revolution is brewing in Wales that stands to reshape our work landscape. Hybrid models are rewriting workplace rules. Organisations not embracing this shift risk falling behind as remote work accelerates. For companies, managers, and employees, the future of work is already knocking. This evolution in how we approach work processes, productivity, collaboration, and well-being is far more than a trend – it is a fundamental cultural shift. Let’s explore how hybrid working is setting a bold new standard. The Changing Face Of Work in Wales Wales has a storied history rooted in tradition. But the country now finds…